Beginnings
by vashtra
Summary: The start of Jackie and Hyde, told through both point of views.


Hyde's POV

It really was nothing at first. Well, mostly. Sure, kissing Jackie felt like nothing else he had ever experienced and he spent more time than he would like to admit replaying their various activities, but it was really harmless. A summer fling, something to pass the time and help her get over Kelso. It would be over by the time Kelso and Donna decided to return (even though he had to remind himself not to acknowledge the twinge of desperation he felt at the thought of not touching her again). He was doing everything to keep her at arm's length, something he once thought he was the master of, but she saw right through him and his feeble attempts to distance himself from her. As much as he tried to pass it off as a purely physical need, he found himself missing stuff he shouldn't even be noticing. Like that sly smile she flashed him whenever she was in the mood, or the way she had taken to giggling uncontrollably into his side when they smoked. With the summer heat beating down on them, somehow Jackie had become a normal fixture in his life, and one he was actually looking forward to. Sure, he was 99% sure she was just doing this to get back at Kelso and would ditch Hyde as soon as she could, but he tried not to let that bother him. He tried to let this be enough for now, though he had a sneaking suspicion that what he once considered "enough" would be forever changed after this. So he took to memorizing her as much as he can, like the small moan she let out when he kissed her unexpectedly or how her fingers felt wrapped up in his hair. Or even how her voice sounded before and after a heavy make out session, something he never would have thought to cherish. Hyde was falling, and he knew it was dangerous to fall for something that never really felt like his but when her hand was in his and her lips were on him, he couldn't seem to remember the pain that was certainly waiting for him when she finished with him.

Jackie's POV

She still wasn't sure what pushed her over the edge that day. Yeah, she was just starting to feel semi-normal after Kelso had abandoned her and Steven had been looking extra hot lately, but none of that seemed enough reason for what happened. She admitted to herself that maybe she hadn't felt nothing that Veterans Day when he kissed her and she had been craving him ever since. Whatever the reason, she had to grudgingly admit that she and Steven were good together. Like, ridiculously good. Her previous make out sessions had been boring and impersonal; they had always felt more like an obligation than something she wanted to participate in. All of that changed with him. She found herself thinking about him all the time and she started to miss his touch if, god forbid, they were away from each other for longer than a couple hours. She had to fight to remember the zen he had taught her because she was worried whatever she was feeling would show and he would run scared. Steven Hyde did not do relationships and Jackie respected herself too much to wait around for someone who couldn't give her what she wanted, at least after her and Kelso's last break up. She tried to keep emotions out of it, something she found nearly impossible to do, especially as the weeks turned to months and Steven wasn't sick of her yet. In fact, if she didn't know better, she would say he tolerated her even more now than he had at the beginning of the summer. And it wasn't just the physical stuff he seemed to enjoy. He liked listening to her talk and he liked just hanging out with her, something she never expected. It hit her one day, as she was sitting next to him on the couch in the Forman's basement, resisting the urge to touch him until Fez left. She couldn't even remember the insult she had lobbed at Fez, but she caught Steven's small smile and look of pride at her and she felt like her body was breaking in two. How did she ever fall in love with him? How did this happen? She had fallen for a man who self-proclaimed his hate of relationships and marriages and the works and she felt so dumb. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, she thought as Fez finally left and she blinked tears from her eyes before Steven could notice anything was wrong.

"What's wrong," he asked softly as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. Damn, either she hadn't been quick enough or he was learning to read her better than she thought.

"Nothing! Nothing." she said with a weak smile as she grabbed the front of his tee shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. He kissed back with uncertainty, something he had never done before, and she let out a sigh before dropping her hands. It was obvious he wasn't going to be easily distracted and she would have to tell him something. But what?

Hyde's POV

He was trying to stay calm as the silence weighed heavily on the two of them. She seemed to be deciding what to tell him, or how much to tell him, and that bothered him. He didn't know why, but he wanted her to feel like he could say anything to him and that she didn't have to hide right now. He slowly removed his sunglasses and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

"Tell me. Please."

He wasn't sure what broke her, but the tension slipped from her shoulders as she started in a whisper.

"I just think I like you too much." She began, as he held his breath. She hurriedly continued. "I know you don't do relationships or whatever and I'm not trying to force you into anything, but I wanted you to know, if this continues, that I think I failed at keeping emotions out of this."

I couldn't stop myself. "The great Jackie failed at something?! Oh no, call the press!" This earned me a small laugh and a hit on the shoulder. She looked at me expectantly as I tried to think of a response.

"I don't do emotions, been too painful in the past," I started slowly. "But I've done a lot of stuff with you I have shied away from in the past, like that thing you do with your tongue…" that earned him another smack on the shoulder. "If you mention this to anyone then I might have to kill you, but emotions aren't that bad with you."

Going by the looseness in her shoulders and her clear eyes, this answer had been enough for her for now and he could no longer resist kissing the life out of her. He knew this would take time to actually process and he still didn't fully believe she wasn't just using him, but her hand holding his head to hers was enough. He moved from the coffee table to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. This was all new territory and yeah, it scared the hell out of him, but he had also never felt so secure in his entire life. Whatever this led to, he had reached the point of no return and he knew he should be more scared about jumping headfirst into the dark, but he couldn't be when he knew she was waiting for him there.


End file.
